tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64682516712416472122024-03-05T00:39:24.908-05:00Modern Day Pirate TalesNotes on the world of piracy from journalist Daniel SekulichDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-43003339081943108872013-12-01T22:52:00.000-05:002013-12-01T22:52:01.608-05:00How to correct a huge mistake?
Word today that authorities have arrested a Canadian, suspected of passing information to China about the current Canadian shipbuilding programme, which includes new vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard. Given the small maritime footprint Canada has, this seems a bit odd, eh? Yes, we should have a far bigger coastal and overseas presence, but no one's tried to Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-49081027471129412012013-10-29T23:04:00.000-04:002013-10-29T23:06:15.893-04:00The return of the prodigal son..and Britney Spears
I'm back...For those who've wondered, the last couple of years I've been wandering the North American continent from coast to coast, from sea to sea, looking at a variety of security issues, and how regular people - including mariners - have been affected. Made a documentary film about what's happening to the Canada-US border. Spent a lot of time up close and personal seeing how fishermen workDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-2850743335785825292012-04-09T21:48:00.004-04:002012-04-09T22:11:50.563-04:00Vimy Ridge 95 years on...It is one of the most beautiful memorials to The Great War, The War To End All Wars. I say this clouded by being a descendant of those who fought in the trenches of WW1 France, has travelled to more modern warzones, and seen the way others commemorate the past.Exactly 95 years ago, on Easter Monday, 1917 - April 9 - an assault began on German positions in northwestern France that had previously Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-90597551940132405812012-02-13T17:12:00.003-05:002012-02-13T17:58:20.402-05:00The Perils Of Canadian SubmarinersOh, if only this was the problem.The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is today reporting that one of our submarines had an unfortunate encounter with the seabed last summer. HMCS Corner Brook apparently ran into the ground while on manoeuvres in the Pacific last June, just off British Columbia. As the photos obtained by the CBC show, the damage was severe. Or, as Canadian Senator Colin Kennedy Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-66605426330257041742011-07-20T20:15:00.005-04:002011-07-24T23:31:53.652-04:00New Insights On Somali PiracyThere's a new book now out in North America, the UK, Australia and the Netherlands that provides one of the most detailed looks ever presented into how piracy operates in the seas off Somalia. "The Pirates Of Somalia" is the result of several years of meticulous research by Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur, who has gone where few others have to explore the issues by immersing himself in things theDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-33599567320584557052011-07-03T22:34:00.002-04:002011-07-03T22:54:05.423-04:00Working togetherAlmost sixty years ago, as the world was being turned upside down in what we now call the Second World War, Canada and the United States of America created one of the best trans-national fighting forces seen in modern times. The First Special Force, or Devil's Brigade as it became known, embodied the best aspects of each nations warriors - and our mutual desires for peace in the face of injusticeDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-6841684199046996942011-07-01T21:27:00.003-04:002011-07-01T21:32:58.317-04:00Bonne fête Canada For those who have missed me, I'm back in my native land. Thoughts and insights will resume shortly. In the meantime, I've my grandfather's old ensign laid out on my deck in honour of our nation's birthday, and a beer in hand. Cheers!Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-17460890731638691422011-05-10T13:06:00.005-04:002011-05-10T13:53:11.606-04:00The Post-Osama Peace Dividend PotentialAnd that's Osama (as in bin-Laden), not Obama. Though both are key to this.A perceptive analysis of what could - should? - be done in the wake the al-Qaeda leader's death comes from Chrystia Freeland of Reuters. His death last week brings to a close a decade-long, US-led international effort at stemming bin Laden's efforts to wage conflict with those who did not ascribe to his extremist view. Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-6659373815707331502011-05-10T12:15:00.003-04:002011-05-10T12:23:17.399-04:00Boating Safety 101Now that May has arrived, folks in these parts have finally put away their snow shovels and begun thinking about summer's coming pleasures. And for many of us that means hoping to spend some time on the water, in a canoe, sailboat or even an aging, much-patched craft (powered by a 3HP Evinrude outboard acquired when Canada was celebrating its centennial). But a colleague of mine who works as Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-6432978326361690182011-03-14T19:52:00.003-04:002011-03-14T20:11:23.578-04:00Pirates Sentenced In U.S. Court To Life In PrisonFor the first time in over two hundred years, the United States has convicted individuals on the crime of piracy. As AFP reports, five Somali suspects today each received life sentences for their attack on a an American frigate last year (the USS Nicholas, see here). In a Norfolk, Virginia, court, the individuals also received an additional 80 years apiece for other charges, for whatever that's Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-52902584773614882322011-03-10T15:29:00.004-05:002011-03-11T09:15:41.886-05:00Suspected Pirates Indicted In VirginiaFourteen suspected pirates have been indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, relating to the attack on the yacht Quest. That incident ended on February 22 with the deaths of four Americans, Jean and Scott Adam (the owners of the yacht) and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle. It's being reported that the suspects face charges of piracy, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and use of Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-10605401786528970802011-03-03T23:13:00.003-05:002011-03-03T23:53:32.132-05:00More On Danish Yachters Seized By PiratesIt's being reported that the Danes seized by pirates last week, while sailing in their yacht, have been moved to another vessel. And the seven captives have apparently been split up, clearly to make it more difficult for forces to try to rescue them. What happened earlier last week with the four American yachters has obviously been noted by the pirates holding the Danes, which tells you a little Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-20217235131262381282011-03-01T22:43:00.004-05:002011-03-01T23:01:12.999-05:00Libya & PiracyAs various nations, including Canada, dispatch forces to the Mediterranean to deal with the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi, any observer of piracy off the Horn of Africa will wonder if those same elements might be deployed elsewhere once the crisis in that nation hopefully ends.There will potentially be a lot of naval assets in the Gulf of Sidra soon. But if the situation in Libya does not Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-36075846228055665962011-03-01T20:19:00.004-05:002011-03-01T21:19:38.464-05:00Yachters: Piracy Risks & ResponsibilitiesWith the news that a Danish yacht was seized by pirates last Thursday, there has been concern raised about the fact among the seven aboard the vessel are three children, aged between 12 and 16. As Danish foreign minister Lene Espersen put it, "It's almost unbearable to know that children are involved, and I vigorously condemn the pirates."On a Time online blog, an item was posted today that Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-54784693531124201132011-02-18T23:55:00.004-05:002011-02-19T00:44:12.072-05:00Americans hijacked by piratesAs has been reported tonight (see here, here here and elsewhere), a number of American yachters have been taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean. The sailing vessel Quest, owned by Jean and Scott Adam, was reportedly seized Friday afternoon while sailing 240 nautical miles off Oman. We can likely watch a growing media reaction to this hijacking, owing to the hostages being American.Which isDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-18701477522639389032011-02-16T14:25:00.005-05:002011-02-16T14:44:58.828-05:00Somali man sentenced in Manhattan courtAbdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, the sole survivor of the April 2009 Maersk Alabama incident, was sentenced this afternoon to 33 years and nine months in prison for his role in that pirate attack. This was the maximum sentence; Muse's lawyers had asked for the minimum-allowable sentence, 27 years, but Judge Loretta Preska declined the request.The Somali man reportedly told the court today, "I'm very Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-89201828035020223442010-12-30T23:40:00.004-05:002010-12-31T00:19:14.613-05:00Christmas MemoriesFor those of you who still stumble upon this site, you may be wondering where I've been and why I've posted so little of late. The main reason is I've been occupied working on the new season of a television series about historic tank battles which is called, appropriately, Greatest Tank Battles. (The series website can be seen here, and the show begins its second season in Canada and its first Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-18634461269694617342010-11-15T01:09:00.002-05:002010-11-15T01:32:55.486-05:00British Couple Released By Pirates At LastAfter over a year in captivity, British yachters Rachel and Paul Chandler were finally released by their Somali pirate captors yesterday. In a video posted on the BBC site, they appear thin, but in good spirits. In a comment given to the BBC's Andrew Harding, Rachel said one of the worst things about their ordeal was being separated from her husband, an unusual tactic that pirates do not Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-42347171744717986582010-11-07T00:03:00.004-04:002010-11-07T00:43:45.408-04:00Pirates Get The Largest Ransom For The Largest Ship Ever SeizedAccording to media reports, Somali pirate gangs have managed to secure a record ransom of $9.5 million (US) for the release of the largest vessel ever seized. The MT Samho Dream was captured last April off the Horn of Africa while sailing about 1500 kilometers southeast of the Gulf Aden, while en route from Iraq to the United States with a load of crude oil valued at around $170 million. Her crewDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-74143274534031148552010-10-28T22:03:00.003-04:002010-10-28T22:13:51.727-04:00Book Review: Pirate State By Peter EichstaedtThere's a new book out that provides insights into the rise of piracy in places like Somalia and Nigeria that is worth looking at. I recently reviewed it for The Globe & Mail in Canada, and here's what I wrote:"Paradise - for pirates that is"When it comes to describing Somalia, one of the few words you would expect a sane person to use would be ‘paradise’. But a few years ago, in Kenya’s portDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-58401647566854584742010-10-26T22:58:00.002-04:002010-10-26T23:09:40.668-04:00Another Counter-Piracy ResourceFor those who may be interested in analyses of maritime piracy from a shipping perspective, the UK-based Shipping Guides Ltd (website here) is worth a look. On their site, they have a page that takes data from the ICC's International Maritime Bureau and gathers it into maps and charts. You have to pay for the info, though the cost is cheap (20 British pounds). There's a link now over to the rightDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-26529543383400723972010-10-25T23:43:00.004-04:002010-10-26T00:31:52.767-04:00One Year in Pirate CaptivityWhen it comes to being taken captive by pirates, especially those who operate off the Horn of Africa, the standard (hopeful) vision is that mariners hijacked will be freed within a few months, possibly even weeks. That is, ransoms will be negotiated by the various parties involved in an expeditious manner, as shipowners and operators do not want to see their vessels, crews and cargoes creating a Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-27464157465683034962010-09-10T19:09:00.004-04:002010-09-10T19:27:21.089-04:00An Insider's Description Of The Magellan Star IncidentFor those interested in reading more about yesterday's incident, in which US Marines rescued 11 mariners from suspected pirates aboard the MV Magellan Star, USMC Capt. Alexander Martin has posted a detailed account on the USNI Blog (here). It's a fascinating read, taking you through events from first word the freighter had been boarded by attackers through to the after incident activities carriedDaniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-83554961194498632572010-09-09T18:34:00.002-04:002010-09-09T19:28:41.436-04:00The Judicious Use Of Force Against PiratesAmidst all the hoopla about Christian extremists planning to burn Korans, some may have missed today's news about the boarding by US Marines of a hijacked vessel off the Somali coast.Two dozen members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force boarded the M/V Magellan Star just before dawn this morning (local time). Suspected pirates had taken control of the freighter yesterday; Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468251671241647212.post-15539722732464155662010-09-04T18:35:00.003-04:002010-09-04T19:34:23.965-04:00The Business Of PiracyA piece posted in today's Vancouver Sun by columnist Fazil Mihlar explored "What business executives can learn from pirates". (Mihlar is also a member of The Sun's editorial board and comes from a business background.) In his piece, Mihlar talked about the relationship between employers and employees, and how criminal groups like modern-day pirates have managed to maximize the potential for Daniel Sekulichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607247433269545244noreply@blogger.com0